Gansu is a long, narrow province in northwest China that follows the Hexi Corridor, the Silk Road passage between the Qilian Mountains and the Gobi. It joins the Yellow River city of Lanzhou, the Mogao Caves and Mingsha dunes at Dunhuang, the Ming fort at Jiayuguan, the rainbow Danxia hills of Zhangye, and the Tibetan monasteries of Xiahe and Langmusi into one of China's richest cultural and landscape routes.
Gansu is a very safe province for visitors, with low rates of violent crime and a strong police presence in tourist areas. The main risks are altitude sickness in Gannan Tibetan areas (Xiahe about 2,900-3,000 m, Langmuxi and the grasslands higher), desert sun and dryness around Dunhuang and Jiayuguan, long travel distances, and cold winters. Foreign visitors should carry a passport, register through their hotel, and set up Alipay or WeChat Pay and offline maps before arrival. The US Department of State rates mainland China Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) for arbitrary enforcement of local laws and exit bans, which is nationwide rather than specific to Gansu.
Current safety advisory
Low
Last updated: 2026-09-04
Official advisories
Guidance from national travel-advisory services.
Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution
Generally safe, exercise normal precautions
Essential safety tips
Practical advice that applies everywhere.
Gansu is a very safe province for visitors with low violent crime; the practical concerns are altitude in Gannan and Tibetan areas, desert sun and dryness, long road distances, and standard China-wide rules on registration, payments and internet access.
Altitude: Xiahe sits at roughly 2,900-3,000 m, Langmuxi and the Sangke and Gahai grasslands are higher, and passes in Gannan exceed 3,500 m. Ascend gradually, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol on the first night, and descend if headache, nausea or breathlessness worsens.
Carry your passport at all times; it is required for hotel check-in, train tickets, Mogao Caves entry, museum reservations and occasional police or checkpoint checks, especially on roads in Gannan and near Jiayuguan.
Hotels register foreign guests with the local police at check-in, so some budget guesthouses without a foreigner license will refuse foreign guests; confirm on Trip.com or by phone before traveling to Xiahe or smaller towns.
Gansu is very dry and sunny: use SPF 50 sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses and a hat, and drink at least 2 liters of water per day in Dunhuang, Zhangye and Jiayuguan.
In Tibetan areas respect local customs: walk clockwise around monasteries, do not touch religious objects or photograph inside halls without permission, and never take photos of police, military or protest scenes.
Use only official ticket windows or the official WeChat and web channels for Mogao Caves; the caves cap daily visitors and tickets cannot be bought on the day in peak season.
Pedestrians do not always have priority; e-bikes and scooters are silent and use sidewalks, so look both ways even on green signals.
Tap water is not safe to drink untreated; use bottled or boiled water, and choose busy halal restaurants and freshly cooked food.
Winter from December to February is very cold and dry across the province, with temperatures well below freezing in Xiahe, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang; carry layers, and check road conditions before driving mountain passes.
China's firewall blocks Google, WhatsApp and many foreign services; set up a roaming eSIM or VPN and download offline maps (Amap or Baidu Maps) before arrival because VPN sites are blocked inside China.
Common scams to avoid
Recognise and sidestep tourist-targeted scams.
Mogao Caves ticket resellers and fake booking sites
Unofficial websites and street touts in Dunhuang sell Mogao Caves tickets or guide packages at inflated prices or promise availability when official tickets are sold out.
How to avoid: Book through the Dunhuang Academy's official reservation channels (the Mogao Grottoes booking website mgk.org.cn or the official WeChat account) or the Mogao Grottoes Reservation and Ticket Center in Dunhuang, and bring your passport to collect the ticket.
Unlicensed taxi and car touts at stations and airports
Drivers at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport, Lanzhou West Station, Liuyuan Station and Dunhuang offer 'special price' rides and then charge far above the metered fare or add stops at souvenir shops.
How to avoid: Use the official taxi rank with a running meter or call a car through the Didi app (which now works with foreign accounts and Alipay); agree the price before leaving for long transfers such as Liuyuan to Dunhuang (about 130 km, CNY 150-250).
Overpriced camel rides and photo packages at Mingsha Mountain and Zhangye
Vendors outside the gates of Mingsha Mountain and Zhangye Danxia sell camel rides, costume photos and 'sunrise guide' services at unregulated prices, sometimes demanding payment upfront.
How to avoid: Buy camel rides, sand sleds and extras only at the official ticket booths inside the scenic area, and use the park shuttle bus rather than informal guides.
Tea-house and gem-shop tourist traps in Lanzhou and Xiahe
Friendly strangers (often students) invite visitors to a tea ceremony or art exhibition, then present a large bill or pressure the traveler to buy jade, thangka paintings or tea.
How to avoid: Politely decline invitations from strangers, check menu prices before ordering, and buy souvenirs from shops with visible price tags.
Health considerations
Staying healthy on your trip.
- Vaccinations
- No vaccinations are required for entry. Ensure routine vaccines are current; hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended for China, and rabies is relevant if you plan to be around animals in rural areas. Consult a travel clinic before the trip.
- Water
- Tap water is not safe to drink untreated anywhere in Gansu; drink bottled or boiled water, available cheaply everywhere. Hotels provide kettles.
- Food
- Street food and halal restaurants are generally safe when busy with local customers; choose freshly cooked hot dishes, and be careful with raw salads and cold dishes during summer heat. Lamb and beef dishes are common; vegetarian options are limited outside Lanzhou and Dunhuang.
- Facilities
- Lanzhou has the best hospitals in the province, including Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu Provincial Hospital and the First Hospital of Lanzhou University. Hospitals in Dunhuang, Zhangye, Jiayuguan and Xiahe are basic, and serious cases are usually transferred to Lanzhou. English is rare, so use a translation app. Pharmacies (yaodian, with a green cross) are common; altitude medicine such as acetazolamide (Diamox) should be brought from home or discussed with a doctor before the trip.
Safety for specific travellers
Tailored advice for different groups.
Solo travellers
Solo travel in Gansu is straightforward and safe for men and women. Long distances and limited English make planning important: buy train tickets ahead, download translation and offline map apps, and save the hotel names in Chinese. In Xiahe, Langmuxi and Gannan, public transport is infrequent and winter roads can close, so tell your guesthouse where you are heading and keep cash as a backup.
Female travellers
Gansu is generally very safe for solo women, including in Lanzhou, Dunhuang and Zhangye, and harassment is rare. In Tibetan and Hui Muslim areas, modest clothing (covered shoulders and knees) is respectful and helps avoid unwanted attention, and at mosques or monasteries women should dress conservatively. Use ride-hailing apps rather than unlicensed cars late at night and keep the hotel's address in Chinese.
Families
Gansu is suitable for family travel with normal precautions. Altitude is the key issue for children: Xiahe and the Gannan grasslands are above 2,900 m, so children under five or with respiratory problems are better kept in Lanzhou and Dunhuang. Sun, wind and dryness at Mingsha Mountain and Zhangye require hats, sunscreen and lots of water. Pharmacies and large hospitals are in Lanzhou; carry children's medicine, because brand names differ.
LGBTQ+ travellers
Homosexuality is legal in China but same-sex marriage and civil unions are not recognized, and LGBTQ+ events and media face restrictions. Gansu is socially conservative, especially in Hui Muslim and Tibetan communities. Visitors are rarely harassed, but public displays of affection are best kept discreet; there are no visible LGBTQ+ venues outside Lanzhou.
Emergency contacts
Numbers to know before you go.
- Police
- 110
- Medical
- 120 (ambulance)
- Fire
- 119
- Traffic Accident
- 122
- Tourist Complaint Hotline
- 12301 (national tourism hotline) or 12345 (Gansu provincial government service hotline)
- General Emergency Note
- Operators speak mainly Mandarin; show the hotel's Chinese address card, ask hotel staff to call for you, or use a translation app to describe your location and issue. Save your embassy number in your phone before traveling.
- Main Hospital
- Lanzhou University Second Hospital, 82 Cuiyingmen, Chengguan District, Lanzhou; tel +86 931 8942114
- Embassy Us
- US Embassy Beijing: +86 10 8531 3000 (there is no US consulate in Gansu; Beijing is the nearest consular post for US citizens in Gansu)
- Embassy Uk
- UK Embassy Beijing: +86 10 5192 4000